Refrigerator



ISept. 29,v 1942. F, D. PEL-HER REFRIGERATOR 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Jul'y 25, l194C] Patentedl Sept. 29, 1942 nEFmGEnA'roR Frank n remer, man, Simn by mme y assignments, to Philco mm-ation,V Phila-deb.

phia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania f Applicationruly z5, 1940, serial No. sir-1,526 7 claims. (o1.- i2-wss) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in domestic refrigerators. More particularly the invention relates to a novel evaporator and associated air circulation system forn a domestic refrigerator.

Since the advent andcontinued increasing use of frozen foodstuffs the domestic refrigerator industry has been confronted with the problem of providing in such a refrigerator suitable space for the proper preservation and storage of frozen foods. Proper preservation of such foods requires the provision of an adequately refrigerated compartment therefor and it has been proposed to embody or incorporate such a compartment within the refrigerated evaporator. Incorporationl of a refrigerated frozen foods compartment within an evaporator unit presents certain problems, and primarily that of providing such a compartment in an -evaporator without unduly sacrificing useable storage space within the refrigerator cabinet. Also, in refrigerators employing the standard form'of evaporator unit whichis relatively tall and narrow with its sides spaced substantially from one or both side walls of the refrigerator compartment, the air within said compartment rises` along the compartment side walls and is cooled by contact with the side walls of the evaporator after which it descends more or less centrally within the refrigerator compartment.

This downward circulation of the cooled air is immediately warmed by food on the upper reirigerator shelves with the result that the air rises toward the evaporator and no continuous circulation of air takes place around the lower portion of the food compartment.

The present invention, therefore is concerned with the provision of a novel evaporator unit having a refrigerated frozen foods compartment and, in conjunction therewith, the provision of an effective and emcient air circulation system.

Accordingly, and with the foregoing observations in mind, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel evaporator unit having a number of properly refrigerated separate compartments of relatively large value for the freezing of ice cubes and the preservation and storage offrozen foods without sacrificing useable food storage space within the refrigerator.

Another and equally important object of the kinvention is to provide an eilicient system of controlled air circulation and cooling within a domestic refrigerator.- y

A further object of the invention is towprovide, in conjunction with an evaporator of the type de.

evaporator drip pan, air deflecting baille and meat storage pan support.

These and other objects ofthe invention and the various features and'details ofthe construction, arrangement and operation thereof are hereinafter fully set forth and described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevationview of a domestic refrigerator embodying the present invention` the refrigerator and evaporator doors having been removed to expose the refrigerator inteior to View and a portion of the drip pan and air baille member being shown in section to better illustrate its construction.

Figure 2 is a view in section taken on line 2 2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in section taken on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the drip pan and air deiiecting bale member.

Figure 5 is a view in section taken on line 5-5, Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of the front corner of the member shown in Figure 4 illustrating the manner in which said member is supported within the refrigerator.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral l designates the usual refrigerator cabinet having an outer casing 2 and inner linings 3 which define the interior of the refrigerator. A door or other closure member I is, of course, provided and this may or may not have associated therewith a shelf-lined inner door 5 (see Figure 2) In the event that an inner door be provided, the sides thereof are preferably spaced from the sides of the inner lining 3 as shown in Figure 3 thereby to provide vertical passages 5a at either side of said inner door for a purpose that; will later appear.

In accordance with the present invention, an evaporator unit E is mounted at the top of the refrigerator food storage compartment or interior. As shown in Figures l and 2 of the drawings, this evaporator is relatively shallow and of generally U or v,rectangular shapev and extends substantially entirelyvacross the top of the food 'storage compartment. =Too,pt his, evaporator' E scribed, a novel arrangement .and combination of has substantially the sanieydepthas the refrigerator compartment or interior, .although there is provided las small a space betweenthev evaporator and lining. walls as willpermit `the formation of frost on the surface of saidevaporator.-'

'Ihe particular evaporator illustrated iszdivided centrally by a vertical partition 6 riritorelatively 2 large froaen foods and ice cube freezing compartments I and l and the latter is further subdivided by shelves 9 into a plurality of superimposed sections for the reception` of the usual ice cube trays;

'I'he evaporator may employ any desired system of refrigerant circulation but it is desirable that passages for the circulation of refrigerant be provided on at least three, and preferably more, surfaces of said evaporator. In the event that the ends and bottom surfaces only of the evaporator are refrigerated directly then a top portion III of heavy metal having good heat conducting properties should be provided and thermally bonded to the said evaporator. Likewise, of course, the shelves 9 and partition 6 at all times should be of good heat conductivity and thermally bonded io the evaporator shell.

In order further to lower the temperature within the evaporator frosted food compartment 1 the latter is preferably provided with a rear wall Il and, in addition, the entire front of the said evaporator preferably is closed by suitable hingedly mounted doors or the like I2 which function not only to maintain a lower temperature within the evaporator but also improve generally the appearance of the refrigerator interior when the outer door 4 thereof is open. Also, to obtain increased refrigeration in the evaporator the shelves 9, top portion I0, rear wall II and like portions of said evaporator may be directly refrigerated by bonding thereto a refrigerant tube of a character permitting partial expansion of the refrigerant supplied to the evaporator, and such a tube may be arranged in one or more courses of variable spacing in instances where greater refrigeration is desired in one portion of the evaporator than in another.

It will be seen that an evaporator unit embodying theforegoing features and construction provides entirely adequate refrigerated space 8 for the freezing of ice cubes and a refrigerated compartment 1 of unusually large volume for the preservation and storage of frozen foods such as are now commonly sold in package form. Particularly, however, will it be seen that the construction and arrangement of the evaporator and its arrangement within the cabinet, the volume within the refrigerator occupied by said evaporator is almost entirely useable for the storage of foods and there is substantially no waste or unuseable space about or above the evaporator. Such an evaporator, furthermore, is conveniently arranged for ease of construction and use, and for efilcient and effective operation. It should be borne in mind, however, that apart from the general shape and size of the evaporator and its location within the cabinet I, the various details of the construction and operation of said evaporator may vary widely and certain illustrative examples of such an evaporator embodying particular features of construction and operation are disclosed in co-pending applications Serial No. 335,579, filed May 16, 1940 and Serial No. 348,759, filed July 30, 1940.

,Now in conjunction or association with an evaporator such as that hereinbefore described,

it is desirable and preferable t employ a directed or controlled air circulation system in order to accomplish most emcient cooling and preservation of foodstuffs supported upon the usual food storage compartment shelves I3 and in hydrator I4 located at the bottom of the refrigerator compartment.

Accordingly,

amarsi i there is provided, and spaced just below the evaporator, an air Vdirecting or baile member B of sheet metal.v .This member B is of generally flat l,or plate-like shape and extends entirely across `as a part of the present invention,

the refrigerator compartment from side wall to side wall thereof, being supported by suitable pins or the like I5 which project inwardly from said walls. On the other hand, the front edge of the baille B extends to a point forwardly of the evaporatorE and the rear edge thereof terminates at a point rearwardly of .the said evaporator but spaced from the rear wall portion of the cabinet lining 3 as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

Formation of the baffle B so that its edges reside beyond the periphery of the evaporator E enables the said baille to function also as the conventional drip pan, and further provides a suitable structure from which may be suspended the customary receptacle R for the storage of meats and the like. The baille B preferably slopes slightly toward the rear of the cabinet and suilicien-t space is provided between it and the evaporator and at its ,front and rear edges to permit the circulation of air between the baffle and evaporator from and to the refrigerator compartment which underlies said baille member. Also, in order properly to cool lthe meat receptacle R a suitable opening should be provided in the baille member B above said receptacle so that some of the air flowing between the said baille and the evaporator may pass down through such opening and into contact with the receptacle R.

One suitable form of baille member B is illustrated in the drawings and its construction and arrangement are more particularly shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6 thereof. This baille consists of a generally flat centralbottom portion I1 and surrounding side and front portions I8 which incline outwardly at a relatively small angle. In

Vthe central flat portion I1 there is provided an opening I9 through which air passes as aforesaid to cool the receptacle R and in order that the baille may be used as a drip pan the peripheral edge of said baille is provided with an upstanding flange 20 which extends continuously around the baille member. Likewise the aforesaid air opening I9 is defined by an upstanding flange 2| in opposite sides of which are provided lips 2Ia over which drip water from the evaporator E may be discharged. In addition, the cover of the receptacle R has a depression r1 formed therein directly beneath the baille opening I9 and in this depression there is located an opening r2 opening to the interior of said receptacle R so that when defrosting the evaporator the Water will drip onto baille B', flow over flange lips 2Ia into said depression and then through its opening into the receptacle which can be removed and dumped when full of said water.

Of course, the baille B is removable for cleaning and other purposes, and the position of said baille within the refrigerator cabinet at all times is xedly spaced with respect to the lining rear wall by providing pairs of spaced lugs 22 pressed out beneath the baille at opposite sides thereof (see Figure 6) so as to reside at opposite sides of the baille supporting pins I5 as shown.

In addition to the foregoing, and in order to prevent sweating of the baille B, there are positioned upon the latter auxiliary baille members or plates 23 at opposite sides of the opening I9. As shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, these plates 23 have downwardly turned endanges 24 which 2 of the drawings.-

support said plates 23 in spaced relation above the baille member B. Thus between the baille I8 and the plate members 23 vthere are formed two dead air chambers which serve to effectively insulate the baille member i8 from the cooling effect of the evaporator so that the baille does not become sufliciently cool to condense moisture out of the circulating air within the food storage compartment. Of further help in preventing the sweating of the baille is-the rapid and controlled circulation of air between the evaporator and the baille for with such controlled circulation there is no appreciable temperature difference between air in various portions of the food compartment and the moisture content of the air is likewise substantially uniform.

Now in operation of a refrigerator having an evaporator and a circulating baille according to the present invention, the air in the main food storage compartment of the refrigerator is warmest adjacent the door 4 or the inner door 5 as the case may be, and hence this warm air will rise upwardly along the inner surface of the doors and, in the case of refrigerators having an inner door 5, will also rise upwardly within the previously mentioned passages 5a which function as ilues. This rising warm air then passes rearwardly of the refrigerator between the evaporator and baille structure where it is cooled and then flows off the back of said baille passing downwardly along the compartment rear wall, some of the cooled air passing downwardly through the baille opening I9 to cool the meat receptacle R, all as indicated by the several arrows in Figure The above described baille arrangement iin addition to insuring a substantially uniform temperature within the box serves to conservethe space within the refrigerator since it is a most compact arrangement.

Such a circulation system as this, while particularly adaptable for use with evaporators of the present type, also has the distinct advantage that the flow of air is not disturbed by loading the shelves of the refrigerator and it is possible, therefore, to maintain the lower portion of the refrigerator compartment and the hydrator at a much lower temperature than with refrigerators of the conventional type.

Thus, from the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a refrigerator evaporator unit having a number of refrigerated compartments for the freezing of ice cubes and also a refrigerated compartment of unusually large volume for the preservation and storage of frosted foods. At the same time, this evaporator is constructed and arranged so that there is substantially no unuseable space within the refrigerator cabinet. The invention further provides in combination with such an evaporator a novel air baille and drip pan member constructed and arranged within the refrigerator compartment to afford substantially improved utility and performance in the use and operation of domestic refrigerators.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended that the invention be limited to such disclosure but that changes and modifications may be embodied and incorporated therein within the annexed claims.

I claim:

l. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet providing a food storage compartment, a door opening to said compartment, a relatively shallow evaporator within the upper portion of the food storage compartment for cooling the latter, said evaporator having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and ,-depth of said compartment, a bame member spaced below said evaporatorand extending substantially to the side walls of the compartment with its front land rear edges spaced respectively from the doorand compartment rear wall, said 'baille decliningslightly rearwardly within said compartment so that air is directed rearwardly between the evaporator and the baille and then downwardly along the said compartment rear wall, and an inner shelflined door carried by the first-mentioned door having side walls spaced from the food storage compartment side walls to form nues for the upward circulation of air from the bottom of said compartment to the evaporator.

2. A domestic refrigerator comprising' a cabinet providing a food storage compartment, a door opening to said compartment, a, relatively shallow evaporator within the upper portion of the -food storage compartment for cooling the latter, said evaporator having a Width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, a baille member spaced below said evaporator and extending substantially to the side walls ofthe compartment with its front and rear edges spaced respectively from the door and compartment rear wall, said baille declining slightly rearwardly within said compartment and the baille and said evaporator being constructed and arranged within the compartment and with respect to each other so that substantially all of the circulating air is directed rearwardly between the evaporator and the baille and then downwardly along the said compartment rear wall,

a substantially closed receptacle disposed' beneath the baille approximately vcentrally thereof, said baille having centrally therein an opening for the passage of air downwardly therethrough and about .said closed receptacle, and plates disposed upon the baille in spaced relation with respect I theretoat opposite sides of said central opening therein for providing between the baille and said plates a dead air space.

3. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet providing a food storage compartment, a door opening to said compartment, a relatively shallow evaporator in the upper portion of the compartment for cooling the latter, said evaporator having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, a baille member spaced below the evaporator and having its edges extending beyond said evaporator substantially to the compartment side walls with its front and rear edges spaced from said door and compartment rear walls, said baille member being arranged so that air is directed thereby rearwardly between it and the evaporator and then downwardly along said compartment rear wall, and said baille having upwardly turned edge flanges so that the baille will retain drippings from said evaporator, a closed receptacle suspended from the baille, said baule having therein an opening for the passage of air therethrough and about said closed receptacle, and an inner shelf-lined door carried by the first-mentioned door having side walls spaced from the food storage compartment side walls to form flues for the upward circulation of air from the bottom of said compartment to the evaporator.

4. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet providing a food storage compartment, a

door opening to said compartment, a relatively v shallow evaporator in the upper portion ot the compartment for cooling the latter, said evaporator having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, a baille member spaced below the evaporator and having its edges extending beyond said-evaporator substantially to the compartment side walls with its front and real` edges spaced from said door and compartment rear walls, said baille member being arranged so that air is directed thereby rearwardly between it and the evaporator and then downwardly along said compartment rear wall, a closed receptacle suspended from the baille, said baille having therein an opening for the passage of air therethrough and about said closed receptacle, and an inner shelf-lined door carried by the mst-mentioned door having side walls spaced from the food storage compartment side walls to form fiues for the upward circulation of air from the bottom of said compartment to the evaporator.

5. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet providing a food storage compartment, a door opening to said compartment, an evaporator within said compartment for cooling the same and having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said food storage compartment, a baille member spaced below said evaporator and operable to direct the circulation of air within the cabinet food storage compartment, and an inner door carried by the first-mentioned door having side wall portions spaced from the food storage compartment side walls to provide passages for the circulation of air between the bottom of said compartment and Y the evaporator.

6. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet providing a food storage compartment, a door opening to said compartment, a relatively shallow evaporator ln the upper portion of the compartment for cooling the latter, said evaporator having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, a baille member spaced below the evaporator and'having its edges extending beyond said evaporator substantially to the compartment side walls with its front and rear edges spaced from said door and compartment rear walls, said baille member being arranged so that air is directed thereby rearwardly between it and the evaporator and then downwardly along said compartment rear wall, and said baille having an opening therein for the downward passage of air therethrough, a substantially closed receptacle disposed below the baille and the opening therein so that air passing said opening will contact said closed receptacle, upturned flanges disposed peripherally of the baille and the opening therein for retaining drippings from the evaporator, and lip portions formed in the iianges at the periphery of the baille opening through and over which drippings from the evaporator may be discharged onto the underlying receptacle.

7. A domestic refrigerator comprising a cabinet providing a food storage compartment, a door opening to said compartment, a relatively shallow evaporator within the upper portion of the food storage compartment for cooling the latter, said evaporator having a width and depth substantially equal to the width and depth of said compartment, a baille member spaced below said evaporator and extending substantially to the side walls of the compartment with its front and rear edges spaced respectively from the door and compartment rear wall, said baille declining slightly rearwardly within said compartment so that air is directed rearwardly between the evaporator and the baille and then downwardly along the said compartment rear wall, and means positioned in the front opening portion of the food storage compartment when the door is closed arranged for cooperation with the food storage compartment side walls to form ilues for the upward circulation of air from the bottom of said compartment to the evaporator. l FRANK D. PELTIER. 

